As I write this Ms. Kane and I are finalizing exam registrations for the May 2025 exam session. It has been busy, with nearly 200 junior and senior diploma students and almost 175 course students! Our students are all well into marking period 2 and the first round of senior college applications completes this week. That means that the teachers, students, and parents are getting over an important hurdle of the year. We will celebrate that with our hot chocolate bar! Read on for more on that. Also coming up, I will be visiting with the 10th graders to inform them about starting the diploma program and having a parent night for 9th and 10th grade family. Please help me spread the word.

Friday, November 22 brings our first hot chocolate bar of the year. This is beloved event where we set out hot water, cocoa mix, and various additional ingredients for students to make a sweet treat. This year we will be using room F310 to house our event. Students in the IB Diploma program will be given time to come by the bar during their Theory of Knowledge class. This is open to our DP juniors and seniors. Our parent committee sent out a sign-up genius, which is also linked here. We are looking for families to either donate supplies, time, or both. Please consider signing up for a short shift to help Ms. Kane and I serve the cocoa or to donate materials.

I'm curious as to whether you and your families preferred the zoom format we did this year, or the in-person format that was done in the past. Please share your thoughts on this short survey.

This coming exam season we will be giving more than 800 exams. This means that we will need a lot of proctors! We are allowed to have parents and caregivers serve as volunteer proctors. These adults would circulate around the testing room to help ensure that students have a quiet testing environment and all students are acting honestly. Please start to make plans to support our testing sessions. We can use you for a short or longer amount of time, one day or many. Thank you! Email Ms. Day or Ms. Kane to let us know you plan to help.

IB Exam dates are set many months in advance by IB and may not be changed. If your student has a conflict between an IB and an AP exam they need to email Claudia Yener to arrange for a make-up test date for their AP Exam.

You can see the full schedule of IB and AP exams at this link.

Part of the IB Core is the Learner Profile. The ten IB Learner Attributes embody what we strive to develop in our students as they become global citizens and lifelong learners. In the IB Mission Statement we learn that IB seeks to “develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through education that builds intercultural understanding and respect”. The attribute of being open-minded is so valuable in our ever-growing interconnected world. We encourage our students to consider the ideas and comments of others respectfully. As teachers we support them to listen and offer their responses with kindness and respect. We hope that our students keep an open mind when they listen to their peers, family members, and teachers We challenge our students to keep an open mind as they move through their lives in the community and at home.

Office Emails:

• DP Coordinator: Sarah Day (Sarah_E_Day@mcpsmd.org)

• CAS Coordinator/ IB Office Admin. Assistant: Mary Kane (Mary_b_Kane@mcpsmd.org)

Join the IB Parent List-Serve

• IB Parent Liaisons: Orly Isaacson and Jill Kolakowski

• ibdiplomaprogram+subscribe@groups.io

Other School Resources

• Maryland Diploma Requirements: B-CC Counselors

• College Related Questions: Catherine Heald (catherine_e_heald@mcpsmd.org)

• Transcripts/Credits/Graduation Requirements: Maureen Bonner (Maureen_Bonner@mcpsmd.org)

• Course Specific Questions: IB teachers - they should be your first point of contact

• IB Administrator: Deberry Goodwin (deberry_L_goodwin@mcpsmd.org)